The fifteenth anniversary of the Pokémon franchise will be celebrated at the next World Championships event to be held in San Diego in 2011.

The Californian city was recently announced as the host venue for the 2011 Pokémon World Championships. This competition will be the eighth incarnation of the annual invitation-only event staged by Play! Pokémon.

The competition comprises two tournaments: one for the Pokémon Trading Card Game and one for the video game series. It will conclude the 2010-11 playing cycle and be incorporated into formal celebrations of the Pokémon franchise's debut fifteen years ago. Dates for the tournament are yet to be confirmed; TPCi will announce these later this month.